


Day 261

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [261]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26533228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [261]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 261

The song in Nalanna’s head was starting to abate when she awoke the day after the experiment. She heard the music continuously while in the presence of the red lyrium and it had been with her since the infected rat had attacked her. It might have come from the remaining Old Gods Razicale and Lucican or if might have come from Corypheus or even the Blish itself. There was a compulsion Nalanna could feel, a cry out for release and freedom but it could not take hold in Nalanna’s mind. Yesterday she had heard the desire for freedom that the rat’s felt, that allowed her to protect Maddox from the frenzied creature.

Nalanna could feel the infection working its way through her system. It seemed that the Joining had protected her from the red lyrium. This further confirmed that the red lyrium was connected to the Blight in some way. Nalanna had not known how it would affect her but any signs of unusual behavior or infection would have led to consequences that might have resulted in her own death or at least made any further attempts at escape impossible. That could not be allowed.

After the twenty-four hours of her quarantine had elapsed, Maddox performed a thorough inspection of Nalanna before confirming that she seemed to be exhibiting no ill effects from the rat-bite. Her skin was slightly red and inflamed around the bite, but no more than would be expected from a mundane infection.

“The results of the experiment yesterday raise some concerns,” Maddox said. “We will have to monitor the Knight Commander more closely. Some among the templars and mages have raised concerns that she had become more aggressive and anxious since taking up the red lyrium sword. I recommended that she relinquish it but she refused.”

“Then our focus should be on neutralizing its effects,” Nalanna replied. “I have found no mention of this lyrium in the Circle records. We should place a request for tombes from elsewhere.” A letter correspondence might present the opportunity for Nalanna to get a message to the Wardens. 

“That avenue of research is impossible,” Maddox replied. “Meredith is hesitant to allow knowledge of the red lyrium out of Kirkwall and any requests for outside books have been suspended since it was discovered Huon was smuggling contraband into the Gallows that way.”

“Then we will need to avail ourselves of other avenues of research,” Nalanna replied. The tranquil would not likely do anything to jeopardize his position in the Circle by directly contradicting the templars, but she might be able to work around that. “The apostates of Kirkwall research all kings of forbidden knowledge. If their works were to be collected… by the templars, they would be brought here for evaluation.”

“You plan to lay a trap for the apostates?” Maddox inquired. “How?”

Nalanna would need to be careful not to reveal too much. The templars did not watch her as carefully as the mages but she was never far from their scrutiny. The assumption that she had been living as an apostate for years before being captured could serve as an appropriate deception. If she were to aid the templars in capturing both apostate and magical tombes, it would earn her trust with the templars that she could use to her advantage later.

“Are you familiar with the Mage’s Collective?”


End file.
